How do you counter Ostheer sniper as USF?

Hi there

I have been playing against players that use ostheer snipers a lot in combination with double mg42. This combo pushes me into either teching grenade package, or teching m20. Now this isn't a problem on open maps like langreskya, but most certainly is a problem on maps like faymonville approach. On the latter I feel like I have lost as soon as the ostheer player chooses to use double mg 42 sniper start.

No matter what I tech, I can't deal with both problems at the same time. If I save for fast m20, I can't deal with the double mg42 since a gren is always nearby by the time the m20 shows up and will faust it and render it useless, but if I go for fast grenade tech I can't get a fast m20 and can't deal with the sniper. In essence, I can't stop the bleed or I can't get map control..

Help?

pershing and double pack howie
/solved

Rifles can do it on their own honestly.

Against snipers, I find an excellent counter as USF is to just shoot back. Unless there is an MG suppressing you (in which case you're probably about to retreat anyways), you can easily just run at the sniper once he fires and start shooting him. They have low health and aren't too hard to hit, so just shooting them is often enough to retreat them or even kill if the OH isn't paying attention.

MG42s can also be beaten by rifles simply by virtue of attacking from multiple directions. Even if you're within its arc, multiple squads spread out is often enough to get past it.

Rifles can do it on their own honestly.

Against snipers, I find an excellent counter as USF is to just shoot back. Unless there is an MG suppressing you (in which case you're probably about to retreat anyways), you can easily just run at the sniper once he fires and start shooting him. They have low health and aren't too hard to hit, so just shooting them is often enough to retreat them or even kill if the OH isn't paying attention.

MG42s can also be beaten by rifles simply by virtue of attacking from multiple directions. Even if you're within its arc, multiple squads spread out is often enough to get past it.

I guess it's not a counter if you need your opponent to screw up badly enough not to pay attention to his sniper But bait is a resonable counter. If you stay less agressive for a moment and lure all his units, including sniper into your territory its enough to push with m20. There is no way sniper will be alive after trying to retreat from the middle of the map. It's important not to reveal the m20 and possibly not even the leutnant couse better players take caution when they see it comming.

pershing and double pack howie
/solved

Pershing in Tier1


@OP; Dent vet him and try to avoid him as much as you can. Surprise with an M20 or smart M5 placements.


If he is building 2-3x units from mid-late to late-late game then you are pretty much fucked.

Vs bad ost, M20 should do the trick.

Vs good, this is the best strat so far:

Show Spoiler

Rifles can do it on their own honestly.

Against snipers, I find an excellent counter as USF is to just shoot back. They have low health and aren't too hard to hit

MG42s can also be beaten by rifles simply by virtue of attacking from multiple directions. Even if you're within its arc, multiple squads spread out is often enough to get past it.

Ostheer sniper has low heatlh? What game are you playing haha?


Thats the problem, i then have to flush out one mg at a time with two to three rifle squads. This means I lose map presence. If the guy decides to put his mg42s in a house, which many of them do, it takes even longer to get out. Meanwhile the sniper bleeds you and grens join in.

Vs bad ost, M20 should do the trick.

Vs good, this is the best strat so far:

Show Spoiler

Thought so..

I think USF just needs the mortar in t1 badly..

you're pretty much going to have to set traps for the sniper and wait for a good opportunity. occasionally you'll get lucky with a pak howi or chasing with m20, but feigning an advance you've done previously while swinging a squad around to the rear can work. smoke also helps. be prepared to suffer some bleed in the process.

snipers don't move very quickly and have to play conservatively to be effective, so on wider maps you can play around him.

i like using a sniper against USF because it's one of the few things that can bleed their insane manpower and because good sniper play is the world's must frustrating thing to deal with.

Actually the only counter I can think of would be the M20 utility car.

But that vehicle is hard countered by the Sdkfz 222. Thus a Sniper + 222 combo is incredibly hard to counter as USA.

Imo that is one of the most broken setups in the game and needs to be looked into. There basically is no hard counter available for the US against this Ostheer tactic.

Get the zook crew out of the m20 and replace it with an RE. Not a hard counter maybe but its something.

Get the zook crew out of the m20 and replace it with an RE. Not a hard counter maybe but its something.

That is a good idea, thank you

Easiest way to kill a sniper with infantry is to bait him.Don't retreat,move behind shot blockers or fall a bit further back.Then wait for the opportunity to rise and attack from different directions.

More reliable and imo better,get a second M20 or AA-halftrack.Attack with one and let the other wait near his retreat path.

Against snipers in general,wait for you chances,coordinate your troops well and dont lose squads !

That is a good idea, thank you

But it doesn't work since 222hp buff.

Tactical support quad, It kills or makes it STFU, because the quad can reach out and slap him with a burst pretty easily, it has the most range and DPS of any of the early game sniper vehicles, with a blitz ability, obviously unfortunately it's also expensive in muni and is 3cp but were playing USF here, you gotta man up and deal with it

yeah tactical support is #p2w but if you can afford the commander and haven't been completely molested before 3 cp, go Stuart+quad
wouldn't go for one without the other though, quad by itself isn't enough as one pakfaust can get it...but with two lights especially you can take on 222, outmaneuver paks with wide flanks, maybe eat a couple fausts during a well orchestrated assault and force him to retreat the sniper which then gives your rifles free reign, or lose his paks/teamweapons, which means you have some mgs and a pak for Uncle Sam.
if you're lucky all of that will fall right there, then its gg

But beware especially if you're 1v1 you will see mobile defense, stooge with the callin spam.. Both make this hard to pull off as the game drags.. but you do have about a 2-4 CP window with your Quad Stuart before the callin spam with Pumas, command tanks, stug Es, takes over

god speed.

Also Pretend you are Devm

and If all else fails just quit USF and play Brits and learn to counter snipe/ buy mobile assault and spam commandos out of houses ;')

As UK my counter to sniper involves Emplacements, especially if OH goes dual Sniper they can't do shit to my Sim city and Mortar will get em eventually, although surviving to build Sim City is another matter.

As UK my counter to sniper involves Emplacements, especially if OH goes dual Sniper they can't do shit to my Sim city and Mortar will get em eventually, although surviving to build Sim City is another matter.

Thanks for that wonderful insight into how to counter Ost snipers as USF...

Thanks for that wonderful insight into how to counter Ost snipers as USF...

As Katiof said, against good OH sniper USF gets totally shutdown so unless you outplay him, there's no chance.

But it doesn't work since 222hp buff.

I have found this out the hard way, 222 simply stood there and laughed at my bazooka